1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to decorative hair accessories for securing a person's hair in place with different decorative effects and the method of assembling and using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous hair devices have been developed over the years to assist women in creating desirable hair arrangements. Devices which secure the hair in place and which are also decorative are particularly desirable. Combs have been used to hold the hair in place on the head, but for many women, especially those with hair which is quite fme or thin, combs are frequently unsatisfactory because they slide out with movement of the head. Women with quite thick hair also have difficulties because many hair accessories break when used with a large volume of hair. One very successful hair accessory in this field, which is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 316,161 and is known as an Accordian.RTM. hair comb, provided a solution to these problems by employing two combs with a number of elastic bands permanently attached to their spines. The combs of this device are turned under the elastic bands and aligned with their teeth facing each other. When the combs are slid under the hair to a desired location, the tension in the elastic bands causes the combs to be continuously pulled toward each other, locking the combs in place in the hair and preventing them from sliding out of the hair. The elastic bands could also be expanded to secure the device in very voluminous hair. The elastic bands of this device have been covered with tubular fabric or attached to the underside of ribbons or the like for decorative effect. These Accordian @ hair decorations have been manufactured with two or three bands, in a variety of sizes, and in different fabrics and materials covering the bands, for different fashion effects.
Another widely used hair device is a ponytail holder, which has evolved from a relatively simple elastic band such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,266 to widely decorated elastic bands, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,301,696; 5,156,171; Des. 354,153; Des. 292,030; Des. 336,544, and others.
Despite these many choices, there has been a need for even more versatility in decorative hair devices, particularly those using connected combs, so that the user can create different effects, such as mixing different color bands on the same set of combs, or crossing the bands over each other, or attaching a single band to each end of one comb with the bands looping over each other in the middle. Accordingly, the present invention solves that need by providing interchangeable decorative bands which can be removably attached to specially adapted combs. Each decorative elastic band can also be attached to itself, rather than to a pair of combs and used individually as a decorated elastic ponytail holder. Moreover, the combs can be decorated with other removable items, such as ribbons or flowers, and also used independently of the combination. This invention thus provides a number of decorative accessories which can be used as individual items, but which are also designed to be removably used together in arrangements uniquely designed by the user. This invention thus provides several multipurpose accessories and, as a result, dramatically increases the options and versatility of these accessories for the user and it allows the user to express her own creativity in the assembly and application of the accessories.